1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to comestible processing, and in particular to a quick-cooking legume processing system and method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide variety of legumes are used as food materials. They includes beans, peas and lentils. Legumes have the advantages of being relatively high in protein, low in fat, and cholesterol-free. Legumes can be grown under various conditions and thus tend to be relatively plentiful and inexpensive. Various cooking procedures and techniques can be utilized with legumes. For example, pressure cooking to legumes is disclosed in the Sterner et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,816 for DEHYDRATED REFRIED BEAN PRODUCT AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE. Legumes can also be cooked whole, but often require presoaking.
Legumes typically comprise relatively hard, impervious outer seed coats and cotyledons enclosed therein. The outer coats tend to protect the legumes in storage, transport and handling. This self-protecting feature of legumes tends to make them relatively easy and inexpensive to handle without special precautions or equipment. Legumes also have the advantage of being somewhat resistant to spoilage, even when stored at ambient temperatures and exposed to ambient conditions.
However, a disadvantage with legumes is that their protective coats tend to delay thorough cooking since they protect the cotyledons from exposure to cooking conditions. Therefore, legume cooking procedures often involve presoaking to soften the legume coats, or crushing or powderizing procedures which provide a paste-like finished product.
Legume cooking procedures often involve a precooking step or process to expedite the final cook. However, previous legume cooking procedures often involved a number of steps and tended to be somewhat inefficient. The present invention addresses the aforementioned considerations with respect to quick-cooking legumes. Heretofore there has not been available a quick-cooking legume processing system and method with the advantages and features of the present invention.